No. 13 UGA cruises past Samford to stay undefeated

ATHENS, Ga. -- Nick Chubb and the Georgia Bulldogs cruised to a 3-0 record on Saturday by defeating the Samford Bulldogs 42-14 on Saturday at Sanford Stadium.

Chubb had one of the best games in recent memory getting into the end zone twice during the Bulldogs' victory. Chubb rushed for 131 yards on 16 carries. The Bulldogs were without the other senior tailback, Sony Michel, who is still recovering from a minor ankle injury.

But it wasn't just Chubb who helped the ground game put together its best performance of the season. Freshman D'Andre Swift scored his first touchdown as a Bulldog by spinning around a defender and finding the end zone from 11 yards out.

"We obviously feel like that's one of our deepest positions," head coach Kirby Smart said after the game, adding that's why they felt like they could hold back Michel. "We're very fortunate to have the guys we have at that position to be able to do that."

Freshman quarterback Jake Fromm threw three touchdown passes, two of which went to receiver Terry Godwin. But it was Mecole Hardman who caught Fromm's first touchdown pass to get the offense rolling. It was Hardman's first touchdown since switching from a defensive back to receiver.

Fromm, in his first start at Sanford Stadium, was 8-of-13 for 165 yards. It wasn't perfect. He overthrew some passes and was forced out of the pocket at times. He was sandwiched between defenders on a scramble in the second quarter, and it caused the ball to pop loose and resulted in a turnover.

Smart said the offense is "up and down. We're not as consistent as we need to be. I think anybody will tell you that. The young kids are starting to grow up. The quarterback's making better decisions."

The Georgia defense held Samford to 22 yards on the ground, but late in the first half, Samford was able to move the ball through the air. Devlin Hodges passed to TaDarryl Marshall from nine yards out to cap a 10 play, 75-yard drive before halftime. In the fourth, Hodges found Kelvin McKinght for an 18-yard touchdown.

Lorenzo Carter sacked Hodges late in the first half, and JR Reed blocked a field goal attempt by Samford. John Atkins recovered a fumble off a bad snap.

The Bulldogs remain undefeated this season. They are 3-0 for a third consecutive season.

They'll play their first conference game against Mississippi State next Saturday in primetime.